Epic makeover for the Ramayana

B. Sandhya’s new novel, Itihasathinte Italukkal, is a modern retelling of the Ramayana. It will be released on June 18.

June 17, 2015 05:53 pm | Updated 05:53 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram

ADGP B. Sandhya's new book on the Ramayana will be released in   Thiruvananthapuram. Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar

ADGP B. Sandhya's new book on the Ramayana will be released in Thiruvananthapuram. Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar

“Sita was a single mother who had to bring up her sons in the deep forest, away from the comforts of a palace. How did she do it? What were her travails? There is no mention of that anywhere in the Ramayana… Similarly, there are many instances when the epic is silent on the fate of the women and many more characters who were marginalised,” says B. Sandhya, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP).

For instance, the Ramayana, she says, describes the exploits of charioteers such as Matali and Sumanthra but is silent on the heroic deeds of Kaikeyi, who impressed her husband, King Dasharatha, with her skills as a charioteer.

Itihasathinte Italukkal , Sandhya’s new novel that will be released today, recounts the epic Ramayana by trying to answer some of the questions, including Sita’s journey as a single mother, which had often vexed the author, right from the time she listened to her father’s stories from the Ramayana.

For the last two years the senior police officer had been burning the midnight oil to write her novel and do her research on the several versions of the Ramayana that exist today.

Beginning with Bharatha’s journey to persuade Lord Rama to return to Ayodhya, her novel concludes with Bharatha’s son Taksha establishing the magnificent kingdom of Takshashila. “All the characters are the same as those in the Ramayana. One of the few fictitious persons in the novel would be Shila, who marries Taksha and then goes on to found a new kingdom in their name,” explains the author.

“I read and reread several versions of the Ramayana before beginning my novel. It has been an epic task, one that consumed my time and energy till the last word was written. It is not an anti-Ramayana in which I try to portray Ravana as the hero. I have not subverted the popular story of the Ramayana as we know it. But I have tried to see it from a more women-sensitive and contemporary perspective,” she adds.

Sandhya feels that even the character of Ravana needs to be explored in a new light. A poet, scholar and musician, there is nothing in his character to indicate that he was a man who lusted for another’s wife. “There is a version of the Ramayana that says that Sita was Ravana’s daughter. I have chosen that to narrate my story of Ravana,” says Sandhya.

Twenty-two chapters of the book narrate in captivating prose the popular stories that we know so well, but with an interesting, gender-sensitive outlook. Sandhya adds that having visited many of the places associated with the Ramayana, she was able to describe the locations mentioned in the epic. “Even today, in Mandore in Jodhpur, believed to be the place where Mandodari [Ravana’s wife] hailed from, there are children who play the Ravanahatha, considered to be a prototype of the violin. Ravana is believed to have been a consummate artiste who played the instrument. There is a small pavilion that is believed to be the place where Ravana married his queen,” adds the author.

The poet and artist has also delved into the etymology of the words and names such as rakshasa, Tataka, Mandodari and so on and come up with interesting observations that are bound to change the way we perceive those names. The prolific author believes that the Ramayana, which has multiple versions in South Asia, needs a contemporary retelling that does not denigrate the story. “Written in several languages and filled with plots and sub-plots the Ramayana is an epic that continues to inspire our arts and literature. This is my attempt to interpret the story from a different perspective.”

DATE WITH THE MUSE

Itihasathinte Italukkal is her second novel after Neelakkoduveliyude Kavalkkari , which was serialised in a Malayalam magazine. The poet, author and artist admits that when she has a date with the muse, she has to keep that appointment at all costs. “I write from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., when the world is asleep. I write on long plain notebooks and use a fountain pen to create my imaginary world,” says Sandhya.

The book has an introduction by eminent writer and critic M. Leelavathy. Sandhya’s feelings are evident when she says that she sees it as a blessing. “I was very nervous about my endeavour but when Leelavathy teacher agreed to write the preface to the book, I became confident about my novel. It was as if she had kept her hand on my head to bless me.”

Published by Mathrubhumi Books, the novel will be released at Vyloppilly Samskriti Bhavan at 5 p.m. today. M.P. Veerendra Kumar, author and politician, releases the book by handing it over to author K.R. Meera.

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